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OPB Honors Volunteers

Oregon Public Broadcasting presented J. Claire Dean and Eugene “Ski” Kordosky with the Jan Henderson Volunteer of the Year Award at a special reception honoring OPB volunteers. Volunteers play an important role at Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB), and each year, OPB celebrates their service with this special award, presented in two categories: leadership and service.

Over 150 people gathered in the OPB studio on April 3 to honor the volunteers who contribute their time and talents to OPB. Each year, almost 2,500 people donate their energies in support of the mission of Oregon Public Broadcasting Their contributions are an important part of the success of OPB.

If Claire Dean is in the country during a radio member drive, she can be counted on to be the lead coordinator during the early morning shifts, making sure everyone’s needs are met, questions are answered and motivating other volunteers. When asked why she volunteers, Claire said, “Besides simply enjoying helping out, I volunteer at OPB as I think it is an institution worth supporting because of its a straight-forward, diverse and informed source of information and entertainment. And anything that is almost as good as the BBC is worth oodles of my time.”

Another membership drive regular, Ski Kordosky was recognized for his years of assistance doing the work of picking up the donated food and beverages, often requiring several hours per day of driving all over Portland, to keep the volunteers fed and contented. When asked why he donates so much time Ski said, “OPB is a part of my life every day with its quality programs. I can count on fair, balanced reporting and programs uninterrupted with advertising. I like to drive and by volunteering to pick up donated food for pledge volunteers, I have met very nice people all over Portland who are dedicated to OPB.”

OPB also presented 15-year pins to two volunteers with 15 years and more than 375 hours of service to Wanda Larson of southeast Portland and Sara Leslie of Washougal, Washington.

The Jan Henderson Volunteer of the Year Award was created in 2000 to honor the memory of Jan Henderson, a truly dedicated OPB volunteer. Jan’s daughter, Bonnie, presented the awards. Jan was a volunteer at OPB for 12 years. “Jan Henderson epitomized the spirit of volunteerism with her commitment to OPB,” said Dana Mahoney, of OPB’s Volunteer Resources Department. “This year’s award recipients show that same spirit and determination to make a difference at OPB,” she said.

About OPBOPB is the state’s most far-reaching and accessible media resource, providing free access to programming for children and adults designed to give voice to community, connect Oregon and its neighbors and illuminate a wider world. Every week, over 1.5 million people tune in to or log on to OPB’s Television, Radio and Internet delivered services. As the hub of operations for the state’s Emergency Broadcast and Amber Alert services, OPB serves as the backbone for the distribution of critical information to broadcasters and homes throughout Oregon. OPB is one of the largest producers and presenters of national television programming through PBS, and is also a member station of NPR, Public Radio International (PRI), and American Public Media (APM).The OPB Web site is opb.org.